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A biologist working on immunotherapy holds test tubes as he works in the lab
(Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
A psychiatric drug available on the NHS could be the key to preventing bowel cancer, scientists say.
Researchers believe lithium can boost the fitness of healthy stem cells in the gut, making them more resistant to sabotage from mutant cells that cause the cancer.
Their findings have led to the launch of a new clinical trial to test if lithium – a commonly used drug for the treatment of several psychiatric disorders – could be used to prevent the development of bowel cancer.